WALKING THE HADRIAN'S WALL PATH: Days 4 and 5 — Once Brewed to Newtown

Day 4:  Once Brewed to Gilsland

This would be the day that The Solitary Walker and I would meet the inimitable Dominic Rivron, author of the multifaceted blog, Made Out of Words.  Precisely where we would meet Dominic, however, remained a mystery, so we left Once Brewed (yes, this is actually the name of a village) and returned to the undulating path that followed the wall westward.

Robert and I at Green Slate, the Highest Point of the Hadrian's Wall Path

The Path and Wall Above the Village of Once Brewed

Heather Along the Pathway

The Solitary Walker

The Surrounding Countryside

Passing Through a Small Farmstead

Robert (left) and I Meet Dominic on the Path

A Young Family Walks Above the Windshield Crags

Lunch with Robert and Dominic Inside the Ruins of a Milecastle

The Wall and the Path Westward

Dominic Climbing up to What Remains of Thirlwall Castle, a Fourteenth
Century Structure That Was Constructed With Stones From Hadrian's Wall

Dominic and  Robert Walking on Top of a Turf-covered Portion of the Wall

A Scene That Prompted an Extensive
Discussion About Various Types of Relationships

A Point at Which the Path Dips Through The Front Garden of a Cottage

Day 5:  Gilsland to Newtown

Robert and Dominic Crossing the River Irthing

An Old Barn That Appears to Have Been
Constructed With Stones Taken From Hadrian's Wall

A Peaceful View From the Path

A Lovely Cottage Under the Darkening Sky

Spotting this straight line of cairns on a small stream, we initially thought we had discovered a work of environmental art by Andy Goldsworthy.

After further exploration, however . . . 

. . . we discovered a strange but fascinating spot, with a large canvass containing the drawings and scribblings of myriad people, many of whom appeared to be walkers along the Hadrian's Wall path.

Someone had also lined the stream bank with tattered pieces of furniture, covered in plastic to protect them from the elements.  As you can see from the photo of Dominic above and the photo below, we sat beside the stream . . . 

. . . listened to the water's music, and had a lengthy discussion about the possible meaning of the place.  One thing seemed clear:  Previous visitors had taken the time to mark their passages with additions to the line of cairns. 

In keeping with that tradition, we decided to construct our own cairn.  (For more on this streamside adventure, see Dominic's post, Almost Heaven)

In the funniest episode of the entire walk, we encountered a herd of cows at the corner of a field, blocking our access to the gate through which we had to pass. Oddly, the farmer who owned the herd approached us in the adjacent field on an ATV and said, "What are you going to do now?"  Since he seemed to enjoy our predicament, we decided to approach the herd calmly and maturely.  Our plans went quickly awry, however, when someone recalled a story about walkers being trampled by cows in a stampede.  The herd must have heard the word "stampede," for they immediately executed an about-face and began heading in our direction . . . 

This called for a brief retreat until the farmer, undoubtedly rollicking with laughter, decided to open the gate and allow his hungry herd to pass into the adjacent pasture.  

Mysterious cairns on a stream, inhospitable cows, some grizzly carrion found on a section of the road we had crossed in the morning — what would be next?  Perhaps two dead crows hanging form a post advertising nearby accommodations. Needless to say, we skipped the bunk house and moved on to Newtown.

Next Post:  Days 6 and 7 — Newtown to Bowness-on-Solway

WALKING THE HADRIAN'S WALL PATH: Day 3 — Wall to Once Brewed

Robert and Dominic (orange shell) Walking on Top of a Turf-covered Portion of the Wall

From Wall I'd been shadowing a figure in a blue rain shell and red cap for about half an hour.  I was pretty sure it was him.  We crossed the river Tyne at Chollerford separated by only a few minutes . . . 

                                                         The Solitary Walker

                                                         "Bloggers are Real People Too"

                                                          Post of August 29, 2011

On the morning of my third day, while checking out of the Hadrian Hotel in Wall, I briefly glanced at another guest whose face vaguely reminded me of the tiny photo of Robert that appears in the profile section of The Solitary Walker.  Quickly, however, I dismissed any thought that this might actually be The Solitary Walker, because Robert and I had specifically agreed to meet the following afternoon in the village of Gilsland.

Leaving the hotel, I walked through a light rain toward Chollerford, detouring along the way to explore another fine section of the wall and the foundation of one of the old turrets. . . 

In Chollerford, I crossed a lovely old bridge over the River Tyne . . . 

and then proceeded to Chesters Fort, which is considered to be the best visible remains of a Roman cavalry fort in Britain.  Arriving a few minutes before the gates opened, I walked up several steps to the museum entrance and began chatting with a couple of German walkers.  Sensing the presence of someone behind me, I stepped back ever so slightly, and in doing so, I slipped off the edge of the elevated platform and began tumbling down the steps.  In an effort to avoid a small disaster — and obviously inspired by some of the free-style skiing maneuvers I have seen in the winter Olympics — I executed what I would call a "half twist with poles," which, fortunately, allowed me to remain upright and uninjured, though I almost collided with a stranger in a blue rain shell similar to my own.

As soon as I regained my composure, the stranger made a comment about how amazing it was that two walkers in similar rain gear had so much in common.  As I hesitated, trying to come up with an appropriate response, the stranger asked if I was doing the entire Hadrian's Wall walk alone, whereupon I replied that I would be joined by a good friend the next day.  And then came the stranger's zinger: "Would that friend happen to be the solitary walker?"  Well, as they say, folks, the rest is history.  Robert and I began talking as if we had known each other for our entire lives, and we continued to talk for the next four days as we hiked through some of the most beautiful and historically interesting countryside that England has to offer.

Robert — The Solitary Walker

Some of the other sights seen on this day's walk are set forth below. With nothing more than captions, I will let the photos speak for themselves.

Ruins of Chesters Fort

A Portion of the Hadrian's Wall to Left of the Path

A Farmstead Near the Wall

Ruins of a Mithras Temple
(Mithras was the Latin name of the Persian god, Mithra, and Mithraism,
a religion which emphasized truth, honor, bravery, and discipline,
was the unofficial faith of the Roman soldiers)

Close-up of Inside the Mithras Temple

  

The Solitary Walker and Other Walkers Discuss a Navigational Issue

  A Portion of the Path on Top of the Turf-Covered Wall

Foundation of Old Turret

Path Along the Wall

Beautiful Views of the Countryside From Higher Elevations

Distant View of Wall Snaking Through the Hills

Other Walkers on the Path

Ruins of the Roman Fort at Housesteads

Housesteads

Housesteads

Housesteads — Ruins of the Granary

Housesteads

Robert Walking Up the Whin Sill Ridge

A Stone Structure Near Sycamore Gap

Robert Ascending From Sycamore Gap

Sycamore Gap (behind Robert) is named after the large, solitary sycamore that grows in the dip.  According to Henry Steadman, author of Hadrian's Wall Path, "the sycamore is something of a local celebrity, having appeared in the film Robin Hood alongside Kevin Costner (where, despite the distinct disadvantage of being a tree, it still managed to appear less wooden than its co-star.)"

Another Milecastle

The Path Took Us Toward the Village of Once Brewed . . . 

. . . Before a Final Descent and a Short Walk to the Village

Next Post:  Days 4 and 5 — Once Brewed to Newtown